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Assassination Theater

A Theatrical Investigation

By Hillel Levinassassination-195x300

Directed by Kevin Christopher Fox

Based on Interviews with Zechariah Shelton

At the Museum of Broadcast Communications, Chicago

Extremely thorough and exhausting investigation makes the case against the Chicago Mob’s involvement in the Kennedy Assassination

After many self-serving films (by Oliver Stone) and countless books, my generation is burned out by all the trivia about the Kennedy Assassination. Even after the 1979 re-examination by the Select Committee, I always thought that Kennedy was killed by Oswald who was ‘programmed’ by Cosa Nostra bosses as revenge for  Jack Kennedy not backing the Bay of Pigs invasion and Bobby Kennedy’s relentless prosecution of the Mob.

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Assassination Theater, by journalist Hillel Levin (here played by Michael Joseph Mitchell), is a detailed theatrical work that covers most of the contradictions, errors, false conclusions and incompleteness of most of the details surrounding the events in Dallas in November, 1963. With the audience intently listening to every word and every video image, Mitchell, Mark Ulrich (as FBI Agent Zack Shelton) with Ryan Kitley and Martin Yurek (in multiple roles) deftly cover the minute details of the assassination including events leading up to and after the shooting. While they sure make a valid case proving that, indeed, the Chicago Mob did play a key role in Kennedy’s death, they tried too hard to get every fact to fit into their conspiracy theory.

Getting all the facts that the Warren Commission got wrong or omitted was somewhat ‘over kill’ to their conspiracy theory. But, a close listening to the details, the players and their motivations  with interviews with FBI Agents and CIA documents makes food for thought.

The two hour plus docudrama will grab you and keep you engaged despite the vast details. That speaks to the articulation of the actors and the fast-paced staging by director Kevin Christopher Fox. This isn’t simply a “more than one shooter” conspiracy show; it suggests Oswald was one of several shooters but the thrust lies in the extreme involvement of  Crime Syndicate in three mob “hits” perpetrated by members of the Chicago outfit, specifically mob bosses Sam “Momo” Giancana, Tony “Big Fish” Accardo, Carlos Marcello, Peter Licavoli, Tampa’s Santo Trafficante, and lower-level shooters Charles “Chuckie” Nicoletti and Johnny Roselli, along with Dave Yaras and Lenny Patrick.

This documentary drama speaks of the inter-governmental cover up and foul ups and their belief that the “one shooter” acting alone fact was essential for  public calm and stability. That was the main thrust of the Warren Report and in 1979, the Select Committee tried to put to rest any lingering public doubts. Bravely, Hillel Levin and Zack Shelton’s thirst for knowledge leads to this re-examination of events of the assassination. It may not change anything, but it is still worth knowing what actually happened and why. The startling theory that the Mob was involved in the 1933 assassination of Chicago Mayor Cermak and the 1968 assassination of Bobby Kennedy besides the death of JFK, makes for scary history.

History buffs, Kennedy conspiracy nuts, and those who enjoy well presented docudrama will like this compelling theatrical event.

Highly Recommended

Tom Williams

Jeff Recommended

At the Museum of Broadcast Communications, 360 N. State, Chicago, IL